Hard to believe this is the last weekend of summer before Labor Day, that artificial divider of seasons in this nation. Eleanor and I got back out to the beach at Beaver Island State Park today, for a few hours of both sun and chill- enjoying the sand, the people-watching, and that we weren't the only two on the beach who brought books with us.

We also again timed the journey perfectly. Heading west to the 190 and onto Grand Island, there were no construction backups to speak of, and only a minor delay in entering the park itself. But as we headed back east, NYSDOT had set up shop in the lanes in the other direction on a strangling stretch of the 290 in Tonawanda, and we watched traffic in the then-opposite direction backing up almost to our home.

It may be the final beach trip of the official summer, but it was a lovely one:)

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Before our voyage, I did my little part to keep the yard in check: I finished defoliating a corner of the back yard where seven different self-seeded trees had grown taller than me next to the only one Eleanor wanted to keep. I sawed, dug and got their root balls out; now all that remains is to put the lettuce-growing playpen(s) over to where they'd been growing. That awaits, tomorrow; it's only a day away;)

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Finally, we got to meet two sets of new neighbors today:)

The house kittycorner behind us sold a couple of weeks ago, and today we saw evidence of the buyers taking control: Steve, the young'un, and his mother, who introduced herself to Eleanor as "Sue." The county clerk says the co-owner is named "Mildred," and that they closed on it last week for a bit less than our most recent appraisal but a bit more than Sally's daughter dumped her house for next door.

Eleanor met them both, and they seemed kind and understanding about our current issues with our own older dog's barking sprees. Steve also has a young son named Quinn, who they both sounded quite involved with.

Following our beach run, we finally did meet the prime tenant next door in Sally's old house and her dependent. The latter is a cute young puppy named Lexi, who's a shiba inu by breed, likely to grow to 20-odd pounds, and who seems to be a prime candidate for an Ebony playmate, before or after she winds up being an only canine child. I heard a lot of conversation from over there in the mid-afternoon, but it all sounded intelligent and caring and there were lots of laughs being exchanged. Not too far off from when a family of three moved into this side of the fence 19 years ago.